Petco vs Petsmart: Prices, Quality, & Services Compared

With the explosive growth of the global pet care industry, pet parents have more choices than ever when shopping for their pets. Small, local pet stores are present in many areas, but corporate pet stores often offer the most variety and convenience when available.

Petco and PetSmart are the two major corporate pet stores in the United States. Both operate brick-and-mortar stores as well as feature extensive online shopping options. Often, both stores are available in the same locations, sometimes even the same shopping centers!

To help you decide which store deserves your hard-earned cash, we’ve written this handy comparison article. We’ll look at which specific services are available at each store or website, how average costs compare, and the overall quality of the shopping experience.

A Quick Comparison

Brief History of Petco

Petco was founded in 1965 as a mail-order veterinary supply company out of San Diego, California. It was initially known as UPCO but changed its name to Petco in 1979. The company first expanded outside California in 1980, opening a store in Oregon.

In the late 1980s, Petco made a significant step toward expansion by purchasing two smaller pet store chains and spreading further throughout the country.  By 1992, they had reached the East Coast. Going public for the first time in 1994, the company had over 200 stores in 13 states.

In 2002, Petco expanded to over 600 stores in 48 states. Petco reached all 50 states by the end of the 2000s, opening stores in Alaska in 2005 and Hawaii in 2008. Petco now has stores in Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico.

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Brief History of PetSmart

Petsmart was founded in 1986 under the original name Pet Food Warehouse by a husband and wife team. The first two stores opened in Phoenix in 1987 with the idea of offering a high volume of products for a lower cost.

In 1989, the company rebranded as PetSmart and revamped its shopping experience; it still offered a wide variety of products at a lower cost but made the stores more appealing and retail-friendly. They also began offering adoption, grooming, and vet services in-store. During the 1990s, PetSmart expanded aggressively across the country into Canada and even acquired a chain of stores in the U.K.

Unfortunately, the U.K. expansion failed and cost PetSmart a lot of money. In the early 2000s, the company focused on a streamlined shopping experience online and in stores. The final name change to PetSmart took place in 2005, with a new focus on the “pet parent” retailer.

PetSmart attempts to be a one-stop shop for pet parents, with many locations offering boarding and daycare along with the previously mentioned services. They have over 1,600 stores across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Petco Manufacturing

As a retail store, Petco stocks products manufactured in various locations. Their private-label pet foods are manufactured in the United States without using ingredients from China. They outsource the manufacturing of their Reddy lifestyle brand, and many of the products are made with recycled materials.

Even for the products, they don’t manufacture, Petco maintains high standards. They were one of the first companies to stop selling treats and food from China during the concerns over tainted ingredients in 2015. They also stopped selling food products with artificial ingredients in 2019.

PetSmart Manufacturing

PetSmart carries numerous products manufactured around the world. Authority, one of their private-label pet foods, is produced in the United States by partner manufacturing facilities. Simply Nourish, another private pet food brand, is manufactured in the U.S. and Thailand.

Although PetSmart maintains many other exclusive brands, including Arcadia Trail and Thrive, we could not find specific manufacturing information for the product lines.

Petco Product and Service Line

Petco focuses primarily on pet health and wellness, as well as more boutique and high-end pet products. The services offered also support this goal. The company also targets those who prefer a more intimate shopping experience with their Unleashed by Petco stores, which are smaller buildings with high-end product offerings.

Pet Retail Products

Petco sells food, supplies, accessories, and habitats for dogs, cats, and most exotic pets. They recently opened a store in Texas that also features large animal feed and supplies, which is part of a test run to see if Petco can be profitable in rural and urban areas. Farm animal supplies are also available online.

Pet Health

Petco sells pet insurance and health products like flea and tick preventatives. It also owns a line of vet clinics (Vetco) that operate inside store locations. Petco has a Vital Care pet wellness plan to help save money, and many locations also fill pet prescriptions.

Grooming

Most Petco locations feature a pet grooming salon and a self-serve dog wash station.

Training

Petco provides dog training with certified instructors. They offer both puppy and adult group classes as well as private lessons. Virtual and in-person courses are offered, depending on location.

Boarding/Daycare

Petco does not have boarding or daycare services. However, they have a partnership with Rover, the nationwide pet care service.

Live Animals

Petco sells a variety of small animals, birds, reptiles, and fish in most retail locations. They partner with local adoption organizations for adoption events and feature adoptable pets in stores.

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PetSmart Product and Service Line

PetSmart tailors its products and services towards those who consider pets family members, specifically focusing on convenience. They try to be a “one-stop shop”  for pet owners.

Retail Products

PetSmart sells food, supplies, accessories, and habitats for dogs, cats, and exotic pets. They have many exclusive or private-label brands, from food to reptile products to outdoor pet gear. Convenience and function are a hallmark of PetSmart’s product offerings.

Pet Health

PetSmart’s in-house vet clinics, Banfield Pet Hospitals, were one of the first corporate veterinary chains. They offer a full range of veterinary services, with wellness plans to save money. PetSmart also features a pet pharmacy that includes livestock medications.

Grooming

Most PetSmart locations offer a grooming salon with dog and cat grooming available.

Training

PetSmart provides puppy and adult group dog training classes, including beginner, advanced, and specialized options. In-person and virtual courses are available.

Boarding/Daycare

PetSmart has a boarding kennel, PetsHotel, available at select locations. They offer dog and cat boarding. Doggy day care services are also provided at many of the same locations, 7 days a week, full or part-day.

Live Animals

PetSmart sells an assortment of pocket pets, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and birds, depending on location. They feature adoptable pets (mainly cats) in-store and host adoption events year-round with local organizations.

Petco vs Petsmart: Price

Because the two companies are direct competitors, they feature many of the same products and services, allowing for head-to-head price comparisons in most cases. However, prices at individual stores may vary somewhat, depending on where they are located.

Petco

Because Petco doesn’t sell any food with artificial flavors, they don’t carry familiar budget brands like Pedigree and Little Caesar. The most budget-friendly food available on the website is Purina One. On the other end of the scale, they sell many “premium” brands like Orijen, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, and smaller brands like Tiki.

Petco has a mix of low and high-priced items but features more of the latter. Across the board, all products cost slightly more at Petco. Services, such as training, are also more expensive when compared to PetSmart.

PetSmart

PetSmart offers a more even mixture of budget and premium food and supplies. For example, they carry more Tidy Cats products than Petco, along with cheap food brands like Pedigree.

Banfield Pet Hospitals offer wellness plans that help cover the costs of routine care, as does Vetco. PetSmart virtual training classes are overall cheaper than Petco. PetSmart boarding and daycare may be more or less expensive than Rover, depending on what type of services you’re looking for.

The prices of animals vary by pet and location, but based on general trends in comparison, we expect PetSmart to be less expensive.

Petco vs PetSmart: Available Services

Petco

Petco offers more grooming options than Petco, with both a salon and self-serve dog wash stations. Similar training options are available at both stores, including private and virtual classes.

Petco has some veterinary services and vaccine clinics, but only in about 100 locations, compared to 900 for PetSmart. They sell pet insurance as well.

Petco does not have on-site boarding or daycare.

PetSmart

PetSmart provides vet services in more locations than Petco. They have self-service dog wash stations among their grooming services. The area where PetSmart most outshines Petco in services is boarding and daycare. PetsHotels are available across the country, offering 24/7 supervised boarding facilities and a variety of doggy day care and day camp options.

Petco vs PetSmart: Convenience

With so many similarities between the two companies, one factor to consider is how easy they make the shopping experience. How many ways can you buy what you need, and do you have to leave the house to get it?

Petco

Petco has online shopping, in-store pickups, same-day delivery from local stores, and a curbside pickup option. You can also create a repeat order, scheduling products like food and litter to ship regularly. Shipping is free on orders over $35.

The Petco app allows you to shop, schedule appointments, and manage deliveries on the go. They also offer a rewards credit card and in-store credit card.

PetSmart

PetSmart provides same-day delivery from stores using DoorDash, online shopping, and curbside pickup. They also have an Autoship option for regular orders. Shipping is free for orders over $49.

The PetSmart app allows you to shop, book appointments, and manage your customer rewards account. It also has customized content that will enable you to create profiles for your pet.

Head-to-Head: Wholehearted All Life Stages Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food vs Authority Everyday Health All Life Stage Dog Food

For this head-to-head, we’ll compare similar recipes from Petco and PetSmart’s private-label pet food brands. Both are dry dog foods with the same protein source for all life stages.

Wholehearted is available in 5, 30, and 45-pound bags. The top three ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, and brown rice. It has 23% protein and 14% fat. It is a grain-inclusive formula but does contain peas. Wholehearted is enriched with antioxidants, probiotics, and fatty acids. It can be purchased online or in stores.

Authority is available in 6, 18, and 34-pound bags. The top 3 ingredients are deboned chicken, chicken meal, and brown rice. It has 26% protein and 14% fat. Grain-inclusive, this diet also contains fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber, and prebiotics. The kibble is designed to help clean the teeth as your dog chews. It is available online or in stores.

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Head-to-Head: Petco Virtual Training Classes vs PetSmart Virtual Training Classes

Our second head-to-head compares a service both companies offer: virtual training classes.

Petco training classes are taught by certified trainers and AKC evaluators. They emphasize that only positive training methods are used. Both group and private classes are offered virtually. Group classes last 4 weeks, while private ones can be booked as a 4-week course or a single session.

Puppy and adult basic learning classes are available, along with a special course covering separation anxiety. Online classes are capped at a maximum of six participants for a small group feel.

PetSmart training classes also rely on positive reinforcement techniques. They are taught by “accredited” trainers, but it isn’t specified what that means. Virtual training classes are only available one-on-one.

You have the option to book one-, four-, or eight-session packages. The classes are each 30 minutes long.

Overall Brand Reputation

Availability

At the moment, PetSmart operates slightly more stores than Petco. Both companies have stores across a similar geographic range, including the U.S. and Canada. Petco is expanding across Mexico, whereas PetSmart has not. PetSmart has stores in Puerto Rico. With Petco also attempting to tap into the rural market, they may overtake PetSmart in the future.

Price

Where head-to-head comparisons are available, the same products generally cost slightly less at PetSmart. PetSmart also tends to have more options within a lower price range than Petco, especially in the pet food department. Services are a bit harder to compare because there’s more variation in price, but PetSmart trends lower, as we saw in the virtual training example.

Services

If its mission was to be a one-stop shop for pet owners, PetSmart has largely succeeded. You can adopt your pet there and buy all the supplies you need. Schedule a vet checkup and a grooming appointment all in the same building. If you need to leave town, PetsHotel can take care of your new pet for you. If your new puppy won’t stop peeing on the floor, PetSmart has a training class for that.

Convenience

Although both companies offer similar shopping, shipping, delivery, and pickup choices, we like Petco because they offer free shipping at a lower price. We also appreciate the credit card options, so at least all the money you’re spending on your pet provides some rewards.

Conclusion

Petco and PetSmart both do a fantastic job offering the products and services pet owners need for their furry, scaly, and feathered babies. Because they’re similar, they’ve tailored their marketing and brand goals for slightly different niches.

Petco has chosen to center on health and wellness, along with an appeal to the consumer looking for more boutique brands and specialty products. PetSmart pushes convenience and affordability, aiming for the pet parents who don’t want the hassle of finding separate groomers, vets, and boarding facilities or who don’t have the spare time to do it.

See also:

• Petco Review – Info, Pros, Cons, & FAQ
• Chewy vs. Petco: Which Is Better for Me?